


fake it til you make it

by babiekags



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, a lot of the ships are implied, but they'll get their screen time i promise i love all my haikyuu characters, i’m a newbie how does this work, i’m too lazy to tag everything so i’ll hope for the best, lowercase intended, main ship is kagetsuki, oblivious dorks, or mentioned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-07 17:44:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21462010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babiekags/pseuds/babiekags
Summary: in which professional volleyball player, kageyama tobio, is trying to prove that he doesn’t miss oikawa tooru, and japan’s most promising journalist, tsukishima kei, just so happens to need a date to kuroo tetsurou’s wedding…alternatively: don’t listen to your best friends if they’re named hinata shouyou or yamaguchi tadashi - seriously, just...don’t.cross-posted on tumblr, but ao3 has faster updates!
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Hinata Shouyou/Yamaguchi Tadashi, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kageyama Tobio/Tsukishima Kei, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Lots of background relationships - Relationship
Comments: 19
Kudos: 97





	1. you & me

**Author's Note:**

> note: in a world that i designed on a whim, where it’s literally like a sitcom, no one moves too far from walking distance, and everybody lives in the same general city. why? because i love all my children, alright goodnight. 
> 
> note #2: in a world where lgbtq+ marriage is legal, where lgbtq+ couples are able to adopt, and basically have discrimination protection, in japan. they’re still japanese, i’m not gonna move them all the way to, like, los angeles just so they can get married with one another.
> 
> note #3: in a world where i basically ignore 60% of whatever furudate determines as canon because i cannot write alongside canon things, sorry.

“guys, what the hell am i gonna do?” tobio pinches the bridge of his nose, eyes shut tight but the bright emitting from the window next to him shining through his eyelids anyway. “there’s no doubt that everyone we’ve met in high school will be there.”

“everyone?” hinata snorts, “yeah right, you mean specifically the Grand King? don’t you think he’ll take it easy on you - i’m sure the Great King has enough of a heart to do that, right?”

tobio scoffs, his mind immediately dismissing the thought of oikawa being kinder to him just because he confessed a little over a year ago. oikawa would go back to teasing him like he did when they were in high school, at best, and at worst, he would bring up the love confession.

“you know, tobio, i think tsukki also needs a date for kuroo’s wedding.. why not just go together?” yamaguchi suggests, “if you both have a date, don’t you think everyone will leave you alone - even you, no matter what oikawa says?”

and tobio almost wants to do it, it’d save him a lot of trouble if he just went with a date. except.. tsukishima as his date? not exactly very realistic, and everyone would question them about it. 

he purses his lips, “it’s not a bad idea tadashi.. but it’s kishi. would that really be believable?”

“oi, dumbass king.” the nickname doesn’t have the same bite and snarkiness it did when they first met, or the fear that others had when they called him that. “i told you to stop calling me that.” long fingers come to flick tobio in the forehead and he rubs the painful part with his palm as he looks up to a glaring tsukishima. 

kishi, a nickname that tsukishima was called by all kageyama siblings. his younger sister, miwako, had called tsukishima the nickname that came in a situation a little like… 

_“you know, you don’t have to babysit my siblings anymore, right?” tobio huffed out to tsukishima as they sat side by side on the kageyama family’s couch in the living room. “i can take care of them, no matter what my mother says. i’m capable.”_

_tsukishima chortled, “yeah right. you keep telling yourself that, king.” tobio grumbled to himself but instead watched the volleyball game on the screen._

_“i want to be a wing spiker!” miwako had exclaimed, sounding determined. she put her hands on her hips and stared at the tv with all her aspirations shining in her eyes. “it’s the best position!”_

_“wrong!” mirio had interjected, “middle blockers are the coolest! i wanna be a middle blocker!” glaring at his twin sister, they began a stare down. it was honestly a cute sight for tobio, they were tiny and couldn’t do much._

_“kishi-san, which position do you think is the coolest?” miwako had turned to the blond next to him and his eyes widened in surprise while it was tobio’s turn to laugh at him._

_“kishi?” a tinge of pink wrapped around the taller’s cheeks before deciding to answer the little girl’s question. “sorry, miwako-chan, but since i play as a middle blocker, i have to say that’s the coolest position.”_

_morio’s eyes widened, “kishi-san, you play volleyball?!”_

_tsukishima smiled tentatively, “well, i am one of your brother’s teammates.”_

_“wah, kishi-san is so cool! nii-chan, why can’t you be that cool? you’re a boring setter!”_

_tobio glared at tsukishima, who was clutching his stomach as laughs came pouring out of him. “shut up, kishi.”_

_that shut him up real quick._

the sounds of tsukishima’s movement bring tobio back into the present. his cheeks are tinted pink, tobio assumes because of the cold weather outside. he’s wrapped in a scarf, and he’s wearing a grey beanie that reminds tobio of the beanie phase he had when they were second years in high school - something he would totally never let tsukishima forget.

he slides into the booth, beside tobio, and glances around the table. “what are we talking about?”

“kuroo-kun’s wedding.” tobio stifles a smile when tsukishima’s shoulders jolt, coughing as he pulls away from the water he stole from tobio. hinata winces, “sorry, i forgot.”

tsukishima is quiet for a beat and tobio doesn’t know whether it’s because of kuroo’s wedding or because he’s trying to not choke on the liquid. “um, it’s fine.” sounds more like an attempt at ‘i’m fine.’ “what about his wedding? you guys are coming, right? all our senpais will be there.”

“of course tadashi and i are coming.” hinata high-fives his boyfriend - _is that what hinata and yamaguchi are? boyfriends? they sure act like boyfriends_ \- before nudging his head in tobio’s direction, “not sure about mr. v league though. he’s worrying about the Great King.”

“it’s no surprise the king is intimidated by another king.” tsukishima jokes, but tobio knows he knows the real reason why tobio isn’t sure about going. “but seriously, just avoid him. how hard can it be?”

“it’s oikawa fuckin’ tooru, how am i supposed to ignore him?” tobio retorts on instinct before looking at a grinning yamaguchi. “wanna tell him your brilliant idea that could have worked if we weren’t the king and kishi?”

yamaguchi’s grin only seems to widen, “well, you see, i had the smartest idea ever. so like, what if you and tobio went to kuroo’s wedding… as each other’s date? it’s a fool-proof plan, no one’s going to bring up.. your pasts, let’s call it.”

"i'm ninety percent sure everyone would talk to us _more_ because we went together," tobio grumbles, "i'm going to call the waiter, now that kishi's here. are you guys cool with that?"

sounds of affirmation chorus around the table so tobio raises his hand and the waiter comes in their direction. they order their food without much hassle as tobio’s internal panic pauses for a minute to let him enjoy this dinner with his friends.

not for long though, because soon enough they’re back, as he’s scrolling through twitter on his phone. it’s oikawa, lips pressed to iwaizumi’s cheek. the latter has his eyes scrunched but there’s a smile on his lips. captioned something like, ‘_iwa-chan~_’. tobio stares at the picture a little longer than he should’ve, and when he notices, he pockets his phone.

“how was work?” he asks tsukishima, who he finds staring at a picture of kuroo’s wedding invitation. if tsukishima thinks he saw then he doesn’t mention it, putting his phone away like tobio had done a few seconds prior.

their food arrives as tsukishima speaks, “tiring. words on a screen aren’t making sense today. people also seem more irritating, but that’s a daily thing.”

tobio hums, a smile gracing his lips. tsukishima passes him his tempura, snatching one off of the plate. in retaliation, tobio steals one of his yakitori. 

“how was your day? are you overworking yourself? can’t have the king being too exhausted.” tobio can’t help but widen his smile at tsukishima’s own way of caring.

he shrugs, slowly chewing the yakitori. “eh. could have worked harder, i’m mad i didn’t.”

tsukishima snorts, “in all the years i’ve known you, you’ve never worked _not hard enough_. you were literally signed as a v league player at 18 years old, king.”

“damn, when i was 18... that was 6 years ago.” he decides to segway, not knowing how to deal with sincerity coming from tsukishima despite all their years together. “don’t you feel old, kishi?” he brings up, “i mean.. we’ve known each other for 10 years. isn’t that crazy?”

“don’t say it like that, king. next thing we know, we’ll be in our death beds.” the two of them share a giggle - _and it’s nice to hear tsukishima laugh_, tobio concludes - before silently agreeing to eat in comfortable silence.

_tsukishima is definitely the right kind of person tobio needs to help him forget oikawa_, he thinks to himself. whenever he’s around, oikawa is always forgotten. and it makes him bitter, and angry, and scared... but he’s happy that he’s not trapped in his own mind anymore.


	2. misunderstandings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which tobio loses all brain cells after practice and may cause some misunderstandings...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY HEY HEY. can you guess who appears in this chapter? ;) also tbh i don’t proof read/beta read so ... sorry for any mistakes !

**wedding preparations: don’t let it kill your relationship**

_by tsukishima kei_

_as everyone knows, weddings and the planning for them can be stressful. many times, people in the relationship can become overwhelmed and let their stress get the best of them. what’s important to keep in perspective is that this is a crucial step in your life, and both parties are probably going through the same flurry of emotions. it’s best to try to not get worked up over miniscule things and take the time to destress._

_a wedding is a huge event and is most likely one of the first things you both have to conquer together on your journey through marriage. being able to handle it well is clear insight on what the future may hold for you two, especially under stressful situations. being able to communicate, be understanding and empathic for your partner while also being under pressure is surely one of the best ways to show your significant other that you’re both stepping in the right direction with your choice of marriage. there’s no use in..._

_ **read more...** _

when he was younger, playing alongside his senpais and kouhais in karasuno, he’d never thought he’d find himself as a journalist in ten years - and definitely not a journalist for a wedding magazine.

he finds it amusing, almost like some sick joke. isn’t it ironic? his ex-boyfriend’s getting married in two weeks, and here he is, the most popular wedding columnist despite being only 24 years old. he finds it even funnier when, as he was told by a talkative bokuto, apparently kuroo had proposed to kozume just a week before kei had snagged his job at _ring the bells._

he’s grateful that he’s able to use it as some kind of distraction but the coincidences are just too much for him. 

staring at the computer screen in front of him, he grunts a bit. the words seem more jumbled, even with his glasses on. he rubs his eyes and sighs.

this has been happening more lately, especially since kuroo’s wedding is approaching, coming closer and closer. just a little over 14 days from now, it’s going to be like he was in high school, gathered to celebrate the union of nekoma’s previous captain and brains. with these two being the first to get married out of their big bunch - _everybody was shocked when it wasn’t suga and daichi, or perhaps bokuto and akaashi_ \- it’ll be the first time everyone really comes together after so long.

his boss pops in, he assumes upon hearing him, “you alright, tsukishima-kun?”

he hums in reply, turning briefly to check who it was. “yes, i’m fine. thank you, nomi-san.” he tries to find more to type with his boss’ presence there but his mind is blanking on him.

“you know,” nomi starts, “you’ve been doing great lately. why don’t you leave early today?”

as much as he’d like to, he still declines, “is that allowed? and anyways, i’m fine. probably just need more coffee.”

“please, tsukishima-kun. you’ve been bring in plently of revenue for the company lately, which is surprising for a newcomer!” nomi exclaims, hands waving around to gesticulate, “how long have you been working here, a little less than a year?”

“yes, sir.”

nomi humphs. “and you’ve already done much more than some of the people who’ve been here for years!”

kei looks around and hopes that no one has heard him, but can’t deny the small sense of pride that blooms in his chest. “um, i don’t think it’d be very—”

“tsukishima, have you forgotten i’m your boss?” the older man looks at him with his eyebrow raised, arms crossed. “if i tell you to go home early, go home! you look like you could use a break, and i’m letting you take one!”

so kei has no choice but to listen. he packs his things wordlessly, mind not exactly empty but his thoughts are all fleeting. nothing stays on his mind too long nowadays. when he’s done putting all his stuff in his bags, he bows to nomi before rushing to get into the closing elevator.

he pulls out his phone, remembering that he took his car to work today. some part of him subconsciously opens the _‘karasuno first year groupchat’_ that they never changed the name of.

_stingyshima: i took my car to work, does anyone need a ride?_

the ride to where is unstated, he knows that they are aware he means the restaurant their dinner is at tonight.

_yams: why are you off of work so early?_

_little giant 2.0: did you get fired?? heehee_

kei rolls his eyes, _typical hinata._

_stingyshima: no, nomi-san let me off early because he noticed i wasn’t doing well_

_little giant 2.0: oh. are you okay???_

_stingyshima: yeah, just tired_

_yams: then no, shou and i are good, i can drive. _

_little giant 2.0: yeah, but i think tobio might need a ride? he walked to work today i think, something about his stamina getting weak_

_little giant 2.0: you should drop by, i’m pretty sure he’d be okay with you watching since he probably won’t get off until 6:00_

_stingyshima: ok cool. _

kei pockets his phone as he arrives to the first floor, not before checking the time. _4:56_. it was a 5 minute drive from his building to kageyama’s training center, so that left him an hour.

he almost considers getting food for him and kageyama to eat once he’s finished with work but remembere that they are going out with hinata and yamaguchi, so instead he just waves it off and drives.

he pulls into the parking lot of a large building with glass windows everywhere. he makes his way into the lobby, wondering whether he should use his press badge to get inside or hope for the best.

it’s his first time visiting kageyama at his job by himself, and unrelated to work. kei won’t admit it but he’s a bit lost.

to his surprise, the person at the counter recognizes him. “tsukishima kei?”

he blinks his eyes in surprise before nodding slowly. “yes..? do i need my press badge? i’m just here to wait for tobio,” he can’t deny, he almost says _king_, “to finish.”

the lady shakes her head. “no, you don’t need your badge. you’re on kageyama-san’s visitor list so you can come in and watch. i think he’s in gym four.”

“alright, thank you.” kei bows slightly before making his way to where he assumes gym four is.

he’s reminded of his karasuno days when he sees kageyama on the court again - not that he hasn’t watched his matches on tv, because kei’s watched every match, but when it’s in reality... it’s _different_. it’s crazy to him that he was once on court with the genius setter.

he makes his way to the bleachers as kageyama catches his eye. he nods a little to acknowledge him, almost a little, ‘_hey, i’m here._’ kageyama nods back to him and continues practicing his sets to the spikers that are there. 

kei can’t hold back a grin when he sees ushijima wakatoshi slamming the ball into the ground after making eye contact with him. kageyama seems to find that funny too, as a small smile dances onto his lips. 

“nice kill,” he hears kageyama say.

soon enough, kageyama’s practice is finished. maybe it’s because kei was intrigued the entire time, mind filled with thoughts about everything, mostly a raven haired setter and their memories together.

he feels a presence on the bleacher next to him, heat radiating off of it. “what’re you doing here? aren’t you supposed to be getting off of work right now?”

“my boss let me go home early,” kei explains, leaning back. “said i didn’t look well. i asked the other two if they needed rides tonight but they said no, shou said i should see if you need a ride though.”

kageyama hums, and kei turns to see him gulping down water from a bottle. “i see. are you cool with me going home first? i still need to change.”

“yeah, ‘course.”

kei finds himself in the area in front of the locker rooms, going through his phone mindlessly. he sees a picture of kuroo and kozume, kozume smiling ever so slightly looking at the ground while kuroo’s arms wrap around him tightly. his chest starts to ache. _how cliche_, he muses, part bitterly, locking his phone and deciding to pocket it and look around instead.

“HEY, HEY, HEY!” an all too familiar voice draws kei’s attention and he surpresses the grin on his face. “tsukki!”

it’s an energetic bokuto, being followed by a (per usual) composed akaashi. _as always. _

“hi.” kei reminds himself of when he was in first year, awkward and unsocial. it’s just that.. bokuto was close to kuroo. and kuroo was his ex-boyfriend, that’s bound to get awkward, isn’t it?

apparently, not for bokuto, as he throws an arm around kei’s shoulders that almost sends him to the ground. “it’s been a while, hey? are you here for your job? have you moved from being a wedding columnist to a reporter again?”

kei blinks, trying to absorb all of the questions. “uh, yes, it’s been about a year. actually, no, i’m here for tobio. no, i’m still a wedding columnist.”

“tobio?” bokuto narrows his eyes, “why are you here for kageyama-kun? are you guys-”

“kou, that’s enough.” akaashi pulls bokuto off of kei, and he nods to show his appreciation as he rolls his shoulders back. “kageyama-kun should be out any second.”

“thank you, akaashi-kun.” 

even wrapped in akaashi’s arms, bokuto’s persistent with his interrogation - or maybe this was his form of catching up. “are you going to kuroo’s wedding? it might be awkward but you’re gonna go, right?”

kei fails at hide his wince there. “um, i haven’t decided yet.” upon the look on bokuto’s face, he can’t help but add quickly, “tobio’s not sure if he’s going, either.”

“you seem to be bringing kageyama-kun up a lot.” bokuto notes, and kei hates that he’s right. “is there a reason you do?”

“no?” it comes out as more of a question that an answer.

akaashi lets out a sigh, “stop bothering him, kou. if he wants to tell you, then he’ll tell you.”

bokuto pouts and crosses his arms. kei muses that he’s barely changed from how he was when kei was in his first year. he’s glad that bokuto has someone like akaashi who can rein him in.

“kishi, sorry for the wait, i-” kageyama looks up from his bag and doesn’t make immediate eye contact with him first. instead, he finds akaashi, who he bows to, and then bokuto. “oh, hello.”

“kishi?” a mischievous glint lights in bokuto’s eyes and akaashi releases yet another breath. “ohohoho, tsukki. you can’t hide from it now.”

kageyama meets his eyes and tilts his head in a concerned manner. “hide from what?” 

“koutarou, don’t say what i think you’re going to say—”

bokuto interrupts his boyfriend quickly, without much thought, either, it seems to kei. “kageyama, are you and tsukki going out?” 

kei coughs a little, shifting back on his heels a little. in front of him, kageyama’s face pinches in confusion. “yes..? but we’re going to my place first.”

_god, kei was going to kill him._ “you dumbass,” he hears himself grunt under his breath as his hand moves up to rub his forehead, partly to hide from bokuto. “bokuto—”

“oh, don’t worry about it, tsukki!” his voice holds a sort of ‘_i knew it!_’ tone that makes kei groan. 

“no, you’re misunderstanding—” 

“seriously, tsukki, i won’t tell anyone!” 

“bokuto, listen to me, i—” 

“i know you want to keep it a secret, and i will!” 

kei gives up, running his hands over his face once more before pointing a glare on still-confused kageyama. “this is your fault.” 

“what happened?” 

akaashi makes a soft chuckle noise that makes kei’s attention go to him. when they meet gazes, akaashi’s eyes show hints of care and understanding. “i’m sorry, on behalf of koutarou.” 

kei makes a pained sound when he sees akaashi’s eyes. “akaashi-kun, not you, too. i swear—” 

“of course, tsukki! we won’t tell a soul!” bokuto winks at him and before kei knows it, he’s being dragged off by akaashi, who nods to him and kageyama as a goodbye. 

when they’re out of eyesight and kei’s back to his senses, he snaps his attention back to the setter. “you!” 

“me?” 

“yes, you.” kei points a finger at his chest, “you just told bokuto koutaro,” _of all people_, “that we’re going out!”

kageyama looks even more lost. “aren’t we? we’re meeting with shou and tadashi in a bit.”

“oh my god.” kei sighs, “nevermind. let’s just-let’s just get to your house. i need yamaguchi for this, my brain cells are not healthy around you.”

_please, let bokuto keep his word. don’t let anyone find out about this misfortune._


	3. still children.. kinda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> highkey a filler chapter to show the aftermath of last chapter, and to set up the next chapter that is coming in probably a few hours. i cut this chapter in half because i felt like it was getting too long for me. this is kind of boring but i swear we'll get to the good parts soon. hang in there ! 
> 
> the next chapter will probably be posted some time today or tomorrow, depending how free i am :)

“you guys wanna tell us why tsukki is mad at tobio?” hinata raises an eyebrow between him and tsukishima, which makes him groan.

from when tsukishima had driven him to his house to change to now, having dinner with hinata and yamaguchi, he had said nothing to tobio except maybe glared and grunted. it made tobio confused and irritated and by default helped him remember their high school days, full of miscommunications and lots of anger, as you'd expect from hormonal teenagers who were trying to adjust to themselves.

“ask him because i don’t know what’s happening,” tobio mumbles, stuffing his face with pork curry. “he picked me up and he was fine but then bokuto-san and akaashi-san came up to him and he’s been grumpy.”

“because you told bokuto of all people that we were going out!” tsukishima exclaims, and tobio notes how out-of-character that is for him. so he frowns.

he’s frustrated and he can feel it building but he’s trying hard to keep it under wraps. “we are going out! we’re out right now!”

“you told bokuto that you’re going out?” hinata snickers. “you know he’s gonna tell everyone, right?”

tobio releases an exasperated sigh, “what’s the big deal? i’m sure everyone knows that the four of us go out to dinner every week!” 

“tobes,” yamaguchi’s patient voice catches his attention, a break from the angry tsukishima and teasing hinata. “i think bokuto misunderstood and thinks you guys are going out - as in, dating.”

“oh,” the words fill out some puzzle in tobio’s mind, and then everyone’s attentions made sense all of a sudden. “oh. sorry, kishi. i just didn’t understand.” it makes tobio feel bad. he knows that tsukishima’s still not exactly over the ex nekoma captain, so accidentally telling one of his close friends that they were dating… yikes.

tsukishima’s quiet for a minute but it’s obvious to tobio that yamaguchi’s pointed stare gets to him. he lets out a half-groan, half-sigh. “it’s fine, it’s whatever. i know you didn’t mean it. you’re still an idiot, king, i can understand that.”

tobio’s glad he’s not pissed anymore but the comment makes him elbow the blond in the ribs. “i’m less of an idiot, shut up.”

“you guys still don’t talk things out,” hinata sighs in a mocking tone, “not much has changed.”

“you know what else hasn’t changed?” tsukishima is quick to retort, “your height.”

that one leaves yamaguchi and tobio coughing into their drinks to hide their laughs. it feels nice, for tobio. to be able to laugh after the admittedly frustrating and awkward treatment from tsukishima. and he really does he feel bad, so he hopes bokuto keeps his word and doesn't say anything about his mistake. he doesn't know what to do if people start thinking he and tsukishima are dating when the person tsukishima is in love with is getting married in two weeks.

their dinner passes quickly, not in the blink of an eye, but more in snapshots of their entertaining moments. yamaguchi choking on a tempura, hinata panicking and slapping his boyfriend on the back, yamaguchi crying because hinata's slap hurt. all in all, they were a mess tonight. but they always were, so what's the big surprise? there has to be a twist, because this night has gone too well.

━━━━━━━━━━

drinking was something tobio decided to generally stay away from. he’d just never understood why it was fun to let yourself get lost and not remember anything you did - not to mention that you get a killer hangover the day after.

so maybe that’s why he finds himself sipping on a glass of water, amusement crawling into his body in the form of a smile as the three idiots around him clink their glasses together.

when hinata suggested going for drinks after their dinner, he thought they meant something like a beer. tobio didn’t think they’d find themselves in an izakaya after, his friends trashed after only a few glasses.

something that didn’t surprise him, ever since they were young; yamaguchi was the best drinker out of his friends, and hinata was the worst. something that made him chuckle; tsukishima is more of a light-weight that you’d think he’d be.

“stupid kuroo!” tsukishima whines, half leaning onto tobio and half sinking down into the seat. “who invites their ex-boyfriend to their wedding?!”

tobio pats tsukishima on the back, “people who aren’t bitter?”

tsukishima almost pouts, crossing his arms. “i’m not butter. i’m a human.”

tobio holds in a cackle but can’t hide his grin. “bitter, kishi. not butter.”

“that’s what i said!”

a sigh escapes his lips. he instead decides to focus his attention onto his other friends, pulling a face of disgust when he sees them clinging onto each other.

“what the hell are you two doing…” tobio pinches the bridge of his nose, feeling the headache that always came when his friends got too wasted. “okay, dumbasses. time to go home.”

“no!” hinata denies, “it’s so early, tobio! we’re not even that drunk yet!”

he rolls his eyes, “you’re literally about to pass out on your boyfriend. let’s go, you fools are lucky that kishi and i drove here and that you walked. otherwise, we’d all be fucked.”

with a lot of hassle - tsukishima complaining and complaining about everything and everyone; yamaguchi clinging onto hinata and hinata trying to drink more - tobio manages to somehow snag tsukishima’s car keys from his coat pocket and get all three of them into tsukishima’s car. _please don’t puke in the backseat. i don’t want to clean that._

in about 10 minutes, he’s at their apartment complex. he winces when he opens the car door and sees tsukishima almost passed out and the other two making out furiously. _god, i should be getting paid for this._

“alright, you simpletons. stop having sex in the back of kishi’s car and do it in your own apartment.”

hinata pulls away from yamaguchi enough to say, “yamayama-kun, you’re the only person who can’t call us simpletons.” but they get out of the car anyway.

“kishi, get up.” tobio grasps a skinny pale arm and tugs, tsukishima’s body falling out of the car. he barely has enough time to catch him. when he shuts the car door and locks it, he sees yamaguchi and hinata are already walking into the building.

tobio drags tsukishima the best he can, the mentioned being taller - and despite training for 40 hours a week, plus tsukishima being skinny, he struggles. up the front steps, he guides tsukishima before he catches the giggling pair in front of the elevator.

he groans and presses the up button of the elevator. “okay, do you guys know where your apartments are? do you know where your keys are? will you die from puking if i leave you alone?”

the three stooges reply in some mumble that makes tobio’s head hurt, like he already has a hangover even though he’s the only sober one. so, tobio decides to bring them all to his apartment.

luck seems to be on a roll today, finding an even balance between torture and blessing.

tobio has the largest flat, having two bedrooms and three bathrooms despite the one that is at home least. normally, he’d bring hinata and yamaguchi into the guest room and let tsukishima sleep in his bed, but they exhausted him, so they’d have to settle for the living room. not like they’re sober enough to notice, anyway.

they’re lucky he turns the kotatsu on and tucks them under the blankets.

he goes to his kitchen and pours three glasses of water, also making sure to leave the lights to the hallway and main bathroom open in case someone woke up in the middle of the night to puke in a rush.

he places the waters on the coffee table not far from where the three are lying around on the kotatsu. he’s about to turn and go sleep in his room when an arm shoots out and pulls him down.

“tobes, you’re hilarious. if we’re on the floor, so are you.”

tobio’s too tired to care, so he settles into the warmth of his friends and the kotatsu.

it almost makes him forget about all his problems, being cuddled up with his friends like they're little kids, even though they met when they were in high school. it gives him comfort that his world will be okay, even if it's just for the night.


	4. suga calls!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tobio gets a phone call from suga. after making breakfast for his hungover friends, his discussion with suga and thoughts about a certain someone leads to some contemplating...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did i use THE randomest excuse to include mentor-suga and troubled kags ? yes, and what about it ?

loud ringing awakes tobio from what he assumes is his slumber. his first thought is that it's his alarm, but it's a weekend and he doesn't have to wake up early to train today, so then he gets that it's a phone call. he thinks of just letting it ring out but he's aware of bodies on him, which mildly concerns him, so he answers it as quick as his mind lets him.

"mm, good morning?" tobio groans into the phone, finding tsukishima and hinata laying themselves at his thighs while he feels yamaguchi's arm around his neck. _how did they get here?_

"tobio-kun?" it was sugawara, "i heard from bokuto - does this mean you're going to kuroo's wedding? are all four of you rascals going?"

the questions don't make sense to tobio at first, so he stays quiet while he tries to absorb. "um, what did you hear?" he can hear the rasp in his voice but if he speaks any louder then he'll wake up the other three, so he tries his best to move out of their grasps. hinata stirs with no pillow anymore and his arm whips to find something to rest on, yamaguchi's leg.

upon observing, he finds that all three had woken some time in the night, due to the empty glasses of what once was water. hopefully that meant his friends were part sober now.

he drifts to the kitchen to get some distance from the sleeping and leans against the counter. "suga-san?"

"what do you mean 'what did i hear?'” sugawara sounds genuinely confused, but can’t beat tobio’s level of confusion. “daichi and i ran into bokuto and akaashi at the supermarket yesterday and he told us to try and convince you to go to kuroo and kozume's wedding since you and tsukishima are dating?"

“tsukishima and i are _what_?” part shock, part _whatever emotion made him flushed._ “freaking bokuto-”

suga is quiet and so is tobio, though tobio knows the older can feel his panic. “tobio.. were we not supposed to know?”

“oh my god, he’s gonna kill me..” tobio groans, “suga-san, i might not make it to kuroo’s wedding - kishi will kill me before it happens..”

“now, now. don’t you think you’re getting ahead of yourself?” suga sounds like he’s trying to calm him with a slight panic in his voice. “he’s not going to kill you, tobio-kun.”

but that doesn't convince tobio. it's tsukishima kei, he would not hesitate to end his life. "you don't understand, i-"

"you," suga interrupts, sounding stern, "are going to stop and take a breath because you sound really worried about this. calm down, and then explain it to me."

so he follows the instructions. _in, out, in, out._ when he's regained his thoughts, he clears his throat and begins, "so, kishi went to pick me up from work yesterday."

"okay, what's unusual about that?" suga's voice in that calm and patient tone reminds him of high school. that reassures him.

"we both get off of work at the same time so we usually meet at whichever restaurant the four of us decide on for dinner." the implied four doesn't need to be explained to suga, he knows who he means, and that gives a sense of familiarity to tobio that calms him more. "but his boss let him out early because he wasn't feeling well, so he asked if anyone needed a ride, since he drove to work."

"is he okay? he's not sick, is he?"

tobio makes a sound of denial. "mm. he's fine, i think. it's just.. the wedding, you know?"

he hears suga let out an 'ah' sound. "i see."

"but anyway," he goes back to the retelling of yesterday's events. "he ran into bokuto and akaashi while waiting for me, and i guess they were talking to him about the wedding?" tobio's voice falters as he reaches an unsure point in his story, "but when i came out of the shower room, they were all there, but i didn't notice, so i accidentally called him by his nickname."

"you called him kishi in front of bokuto?" suga snorts. "oh no."

it makes tobio smile to hear suga laugh. "yeah. but then bokuto asked if we were going out. i thought he meant going out for dinner, so i said yes. i mean, we go out for dinner all the time, i thought he'd know. then he started celebrating and tsukishima kept glaring at me, so i was confused. bokuto promised he wouldn't tell anyone but it's bokuto so i don't know what i was expecting." he sighs, rubbing his forehead.

"let me guess - tsukishima didn't tell you anything about why he was annoyed at you and it was.. yamaguchi? who explained it to you?" suga predicts. it freaks tobio out how he's so used to their behaviour. "i was going to say hinata, but he probably made fun of you guys."

"you guessed right. but i apologized and now i feel like crap because i made his ex-boyfriend's best friend believe that we're dating." tobio frowns, guilt over-taking him even when it shouldn't. kuroo was getting married so it didn't matter if he found out... but _still_. it just makes him feel worse, because even _if_ kuroo made the last minute decision that he wasn't over tsukishima, he'd think there was no chance.

it's like suga can read his thoughts, because his next sentence is, "you don't have to feel so bad, you know. kuroo loves kenma and everyone can see that. that's why you feel bad, right? that maybe kuroo would all of a sudden change his mind but think that he can't have tsukishima anymore because you two are together?"

"suga-san, you're like a psychic," tobio jokes before admitting, "yeah, that's it. and yeah, everyone with a working brain can see kuroo loves kenma... but that doesn't stop my guilt. it's not a big deal but still. just.. what if?"

"well, what if you went back to sleep, kageyama?" it's a new voice on the other end of the line, but tobio immediately recognizes it as daichi. "sorry that koushi woke you up, it's still pretty early and i saw hinata's post about you guys going to an izakaya yesterday night."

"it's okay, daichi-san." tobio shakes his head even if he can't see, "it's not like i ever drink. besides, i can make hangover food for these dumbasses before they wake up in complain."

daichi chuckles and tobio's heart is warmed again. "alright. have a good day, kageyama. tell us if you're going to kuroo's wedding, alright?"

"mhm," he makes a sound of affirmation, "of course. bye, daichi-san, suga-san."

"bye, tobio!" suga yells into the phone before the call ends.

he goes to the living room once more and sees them sprawled out over each other. they haven't changed since they were young and the thought makes him calm. that even though the world around them was changing, they weren't.

he starts breakfast for them. he decides to go save them from their misery and make them his usual hangover-ramen. he contemplated giving them nothing but milk-bread, but his kinder side won. the ramen is cooked within twenty minutes, so he sets the pot on the table. he places placemats and plates at the four spots of the square table before heading back to the living room.

"wake up, dumbasses!" he yells into the room, and chuckles as yamaguchi jumps awake. it's amusing to watch the others awake, looking all messy and.. well, just funny, in general. when he gets tired of them sitting around trying to wake, he draws out, "i made ramen.."

the three clamber to get up and trip over themselves to get to the kitchen. they look like fools but it's what they are, anyway.

"thanks for the meal." they say before starting to eat at a mildly alarming pace.

"heard you talking on the phone, tobes." yamaguchi mumbles as he slurps on the noodles. he looks up with curious eyes, "who was it?"

tobio swallows his noodles, then answers. "it was suga-san." his eyes shift to a disgruntled looking tsukishima who looks like he isn't paying attention to anything but the food. it was rare for him to be eating much so tobio relished in the sight. "guess what the call was about?"

yamaguchi shoots him a grin, a blinding one. “i’ll take a wild guess,” he eyes his blond best friend ever so discreetly.

“what are you guys talking about...” hinata half-groans. “making my head hurt this early...”

tobio rolls his eyes. “it’s not me that’s making your head hurt—it’s the four glasses of beer you drank by yourself yesterday.”

“so what was the call about?” tsukishima asks, surprising tobio. he analyzes that the blond has finished an entire bowl and can’t help but feel happy about that.

“bokuto-kun and his talkative self.” is the easiest way for tobio to put it. and he means it in the most loving way possible—bokuto is definitely the kind of person who lights up a room when he walks into it.

tsukishima raises an eyebrow as he drinks from the water glass he brought over. “i thought you were calling suga-san?”

tobio nods, slurping some noodles into his mouth before elaborating. “i was. he and daichi-san ran into bokuto-kun and akaashi-kun yesterday.”

per usual, the blond is quick to connect the dots and groans. “don’t tell me he—”

“he did.”

“it’s the universe telling you to listen to me,” yamaguchi joins their conversing, his ever-so pretty grin bigger than ever. “come on, would it kill you to listen to me for once?”

“probably,” is tsukishima’s quick retort. “you didn’t tell suga-san anything that could possibly incriminate us further, did you?”

so tobio tries to think back to the words he and suga shared throughout their phone call. not that he was a lot of faith in himself after being so dense the previous evening, but he slowly gathers an answer. “..no?”

“i’d be more relieved if you sounded more sure.”

“and my head would be more relieved if you guys told me what was going on!” hinata jumps in as well, looking between his friends expectantly. “i’m lost!”

somewhere in the background, he hears yamaguchi explain to hinata what the three were talking about. tsukishima’s eaten another half of a bowl, again making tobio feel warm.

he ends up zoning out about the blond. not that he can blame himself—he can, but it’s tsukishima kei. the same tsukishima kei that he’s known since first year of high school, albeit kinder, taller, less anti-social.

(and handsomer, but tobio doesn’t want to admit that to himself just yet. it’s a blow to his pride.)

along the lines, his thoughts drift to oikawa: the brunet he’s admired since he was in middle school. the person who’s shaped him. tobio can’t deny it, he’s similar to oikawa in many ways because he’s followed oikawa’s footsteps in everything. he just wished that following his footsteps didn’t make him fall for the annoying setter.

it makes tobio feel bitter. that oikawa gets his happily ever after with his best friend since childhood while tobio is wallowing in his pit of despair. but it makes tobio happy, too. that oikawa gets to live this perfect life with iwaizumi, possibly the only person who could handle his ups and downs.

soon tobio’s mind settles into panic—so perhaps it doesn’t settle at all. instead, his mind is rushing and rushing. worrying about whether or not oikawa had told anyone about his confession—if he had told kunimi or kindaichi, who knew tobio more than anyone else who used to attend aoba jousai. wondering if his old teammates knew how he felt about oikawa, and if they could see, who else could?

and if they could see, did they pity him? did they feel bad because he stood no chance against iwaizumi, who was literally made to match oikawa? who could give oikawa everything he needed and so much more than tobio ever could?

if only tobio had someone like that—a constant that he could always rely on when he needed. something that would always be there no matter what.

so his thoughts flicker back to the blond. his mind wanders a bit, just enough for some ideas to bloom in his head.

to be frank, if you told 14-year-old tobio that he’d be considering fake-dating tsukishima, he’d yell in your face and make a fuss. it makes tobio giggle in his head.

_fake dating tsukishima_... would it really solve his problems? or rather—would it save him from his fear?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOL i know i said i would update the day after i posted the previous chapter and i’m so sorry it took 8!! days but i’m back ! i got an injury and have had no motivation to write but here we are again :) the next chapter, i’m not giving any specific days, but will be out in a week or so !


	5. hear me out...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kags is a desperate baby and tsukki lowkey wants to take care of his friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOL i know this chapter is shit and there are times where you can tell i wrote the parts on different days because it's better/worse but ya here you go, lovely chapter 5 to our story !

kageyama’s done a lot of things in the 10 or so years they’ve known each other that’s surprised kei.

first would be asking him for homework help in their first year—not really a big surprise, since it _was_ volleyball related, but surprising enough because he set aside his pride to play volleyball. admittedly, it felt nice knowing that he had some control over the other, especially _since_ it was concerning volleyball, a topic that kei is sure the other could rave about for hours on end. that’s when kei saw just how much passion the other had for the sport.

another example would be in their second year. there was a first year setter joining their club who looked absolutely terrified to be playing on the same team as kageyama tobio, the king of the court. it made more sense to kei why he was petrified when he found out that it was one of kageyama’s kouhai from kitagawa daiichi. and yet, despite his all-so tragic history with the former students there, when the younger boy came up to the ravenette one practice with big doe eyes asking to learn his jump serve, kageyama had happily—er, _willingly_ agreed. it was a time kei noticed just how different the king had become in the time span of a year.

another surprise was kei and kageyama ending up living together for most of their time after highs school. kei was taking writing courses in america, an opportunity he acquired to practice his english skills a little before graduation. graduation year, the same year that kageyama was officially signed to be a professional volleyball player, despite that he'd been scouted since early in second year. that meant kageyama going to america for 2 years to train. fate has a knack for throwing kei off balance, it seems, because that’s exactly how much time would pass before kei’s program would end. naturally, they lived together in america, not knowing anyone else and, in kei’s case, certainly not having enough money to live on his own as an 18 year old. kageyama had told him he hadn't had enough money either but he's sure that if he asked, the other's parents would give him as much as he needed. perhaps kei hated having to depend on kageyama for a while, but it became bearable after a while.

fate truly is a funny thing, because after kei had finished his courses and kageyama completed his training, they moved into an apartment (as kageyama likes to call it. must be the rich kid in him, because to kei, it’s like a penthouse.) together, not really thinking much about it. (when questioned about it, kei says ‘it’s more convenient’ but never anything more than that. and yes, his parents and akiteru have asked if there was anything between him and the setter, but the discussion always ended with a stern glare from him.) admittedly, it reminded kei just how much he and the king had become closer throughout their time in high school.

so, to put it simply, kageyama is full of surprises. there are no predictions when it comes to him. and that’s something, coming from kei, who could read practically everyone around him.

he doesn’t know how to react when he opens his bedroom door to find kageyama, fidgeting with his nails. kei can’t tell if he even noticed he opened the door.

“king,” he calls out, trying to catch the attention of the setter. “are you alright?”

he sees kageyama’s shoulders rise and fall. kei notices now how their height difference over the years have gone to basically nothing. the white t-shirt that the other is wearing hangs loosely off of him, despite the broad shoulders its hiding underneath.

not that kei would ever call them broad aloud. it’s just an observation.

kageyama’s hands fall to his sides and his head tilts up to meet kei’s eyes. “would you date someone even if you’re in love with another person?”

“what?” kei’s jaw drops, eyes blinking slowly, trying to comprehend.

the boy opposite from him chews on his bottom lip before leaning against the door frame. “what i meant was—even if you’re in love with kuroo-san, would you date someone else?”

kei’s mouth runs dry. he knows that kageyama was aware of his feelings for the ex nekoma captain but it’s different hearing it aloud. kei swallows to get rid of the dry feeling. “um, why?”

kageyama says nothing and if he wasn’t standing in the doorway, kei is 75% sure he would have shut the door on him. despite the situation, he muses that if they were still first years, that number would surely be 100%.

“hey,” he finally speaks just as kei was about to tell him to go away. “go out with me.”

“what?”

“go out with me,” kageyama repeats, but his voice is still quiet and a bit hesitant. still holds that same tone he had when he first told kei how he felt about being called ‘the king of the court,’ the uncertainty and self-consciousness.

kei can’t do anything but stare blankly before pushing a hand across the setter’s forehead. “are you coming down with something? you should really take better care of your health, you’re a pro athlete for god’s sake—”

“kei.” it stops his sentence from progressing, not that it was going anywhere to begin with. “it was an offer.”

he almost wants to roll his eyes. “yes, i understand that. but why?”

“think about it,” kageyama’s not meeting his eyes and yes, there’s still traces of that fear, but he sounds more like third year kageyama instead of middle school. it's strong, solemn. “i... kuroo-san’s wedding is in a week.”

kei winces despite himself. he hopes kageyama doesn’t notice but that’s like hoping dinosaurs are still alive - even though he wishes it were true, it's not. “yeah, i know. seems to be a hot topic amongst people around me.” he doesn't hide the half-assed bite and snarkiness that accompanies his statement.

kageyama’s voice is quiet, pushing out a, “kei.” it makes kei look at him and their eyes meet, kei shocked by the other’s sudden confidence. or maybe it's not confidence, more like... like determination, perhaps. resolve, maybe. “you know oikawa-san will be there.”

“yes, so i've heard.” he replies, trying to sound both nonchalant and still caring enough that kageyama thinks he's the same insensitive asshole he was in their first year of high school. "is that important?"

“iwaizumi-san is definitely going to go with him,” kageyama explains, like kei didn't already assume. "i'm.."

as much as he tries, he can't help the annoyed-sounding “you're?” that leaves his lips. can't help but feel mildly apologetic about the frown it puts on the setter's face.

the other sighs, beginning to fidget with his hands. kei watches his nails pick at each other before focusing back up to the shorter's face although the mentioned almost refuses to make eye contact. "i'm scared that oikawa-san is going to bring up our..." he lets the confession hang in the air, seeming to find the wooden floorboards in kei's room suddenly so interesting.

kei understands the fear. really, he does. he has no idea how he's going to show up to kuroo's wedding, pretending to smile as someone he loved for months and months on end marry someone who could make him happier than kei ever could. but did kageyama really think that pretending they were dating make their exes believe they were over them? and even if they were, what did it matter? they had their own significant others to be worried about, so why would they focus on people from their past?

"what difference will it make, tobio?" the breath that leaves his mouth is heavy, tired. "if they think we're over them, who's going to care?"

"me!" the other exclaims in his usual defiant manner, "i'll care! because it's _killing_ me. watching him be so happy with someone he told me not to worry about for _months_, and yet the moment we ended things..." the crack in kageyama's voice makes kei's hands clench into fists. "who did he run to?"

he can't seem to gather a reply for that one. maybe because it hits close to home. maybe because he understands exactly how it feels, being someone's second even after so long of them assuring you that you're their first choice.

maybe he understands just how bad kageyama needs this-needs _him_, when his shoulders start shaking, when his knees bend. when his weight falls onto the floor, elbows on his knees and body convulsing in a way that's all too familiar to kei. when the raven-haired boy's quiet but clear sobs echo through the room, a sight not new to kei but one that will _always_ make him feel like his body is being crushed underneath a hydraulic press machine.

"please, kei, please." is all kageyama murmurs, repeated over and over again like a broken record. a constant loop that pricks kei with needles every time he hears the desperation, the helplessness, the hurt. all the emotions that he feels, buried deep inside him that he'll never allow himself show to anyone, not even his own reflection in the mirror.

maybe he understands just how much he needs the other as well, when his eyes glaze over with unshed tears. he doesn't know if they're for kageyama or for himself, but he knows that he lowers his body down to the floor, in front of the doorway that kageyama collapsed in. he knows his hand reaches out and places itself onto the other's shoulders, attempting to halt - or at least calm - the other's trembling. he knows - _feels_ a drip of water running down the left side of his face.

and finally, he hears himself say, "okay, king. let's do it."

kageyama looks up at him, face red, cheeks tear soaked. his eyes are full of questions that kei can't answer himself, but they're also full of gratefulness.

so he moves his hand from the other's shoulder to his cheek, brushing away a stray tear. it's small and uncharacteristically soft but he knows kageyama can feel the underlying message in his touch. _i got you, we can do this._


End file.
